Short Fuse

The United States is known for its highways chock full of gas-guzzling jeeps.

But this wouldn’t necessarily be the case if car dealers showed the long-term fuel costs on labels next to vehicles on sale.

Research from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business in North Carolina suggests more people would go for fuel efficient rides if they knew the cost of petrol over its lifetime, on average 100,000 miles.

Professor Rick Larrick says: “Giving the gas cost over the lifetime of the vehicle seems to give people a better understanding of its fuel efficiency.

“The current metrics used don’t help people to understand the true value of a fuel-efficient vehicle.”

At the moment, researchers say petrol use is displayed in different ways: labels from the US Environmental Protection Agency show the number of gallons used per 100 miles while another shows the cost of fuel over the average yearly distance driven (15,000 miles).